Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-03-19

foreign country, ana never return. an
grily refused. Then, far from quitting the
country, l set out for home at all speed.
My father was reported sick in bed when
l appeared at the office, where the book
keeper and others gave me the cold shout
der and hutfed me generally, as though
making no question of my guilt. Then ]
hurried to the house. Selma received me
in the parlor with embraces and tears. She
professed entire belief in my innocence,
but besought me not to 60 up stairs to nv
father, whom she represented az being still
furious against me and obdurate III his
conviction of my guilt. She begged me tc
fly, promising to communicate with me reg.
ularly as I should pass from place to place,
to send me money, and likewise to plead
constantly with my father in my behalf.
She overcame me with her tears, her kisses,
and her seemingly agonized solicitude lesi
| should again be carried off to prison,
which, she said, would break her heart. In
n wenk and evil hour consented TO become
fugitive.
Then before my departure she begged me
to return all the love-letters she had even
written me, for we had correspOnded al
most daily during my long absences. Now,
in some of her letters TO me, Selma had
mixed up her expressions of endearment
with certain speculations upon the benefit
that would come to us in the event of my
fathers death the old ogre's death, as she
once or twice put it,, in a way that had
shocked Inc not little, and which I had
only been able to explain away by consider
ing them as mere thonghtless words on her
part, springing out of a natural Impotence
at our being so crossed and hampered in
our desires. However, | could not have
complied with her request just at that mo-
ment, had | wished, for the letters were in
my valiso which / had left at the station.
"She then exacted n promise that /
would send them to her from the first halt
ing place in my wanderings, gave me the
few dollars she had in her purse, and sep
arated from me i'll an apparent agony OF
tears.
But, as l was skulking out by back
way, old Mrs. Lump slipped something in
to my hand and whispered in my ear: Il
overheard all that passed between We i'll the
parlor, Don't trust the sly mink, Ichabod,
an never send her back no letters nor
nothin'.' | hardly understood her until
was on board a Western train, when |
opened the package she had given met
contained fifty dollars, like as not all her
savings, poor soul.-and fell to thinking
over what she had whispered. From that
time was filled with doubts and fears re-
garding Selma, sometimes fancying her
loving and sincere, and again suspecting
her of treachery and double dealing. The
old giddiness came back to my head and
hardly ever left it. making me unfit for
steady work. But | stopped at nearly all
the towns between Buffalo and Pittsburgh,
making hard but vain attempts to get work
at my trade; and, soon after arriving at n
cheap tavern in Pittsburgh. broken down
and penniless, / fell i'll with a fever, and
was carried off to a charity hospital.
When discharged, l was very weak,
and the chronic roaring in my
ears had given place to stupid, va
cant feeling that still further iucapac-
itated me. Selma had at first written
regularly, sending me small sums, and al
ways urging me to return her those letters;
but now she wrote no more. and all my APP
peals failed to elicit response. Moreover,
cold weather was setting IN, no work could
be had, and the city streets were filling up
with tramps of ell sorts, good and bad,
poor men really wishing work but unable to
get it, and the lazy, mean lot who even pre-
fer tramping to honest labor. My sranty
luggage was kept by a tavern keeper for
the two days board had had before fall
ing sick.
"Ah. sir, all. Miss Gertrude: there is lit
tie more to tell that would interest without
disgusting you. / became a tramp. and
passed a terrible winter, roaming from
place to place in the West and Southwest,
sometimes in Jail as a vagrant, sometimes
begging, least-tlnles wor"lng, but always
tramping, trampin9 on, sleeping anywhere
and nowhere with half a. meal to-day and
no meal tomorrow, i'll Il drearv round OF
daily misery such as no one who has never
tried it can ever imagine. In the spring I
resolved to make my way East again. |
managed to steal enough rides on freight
trains to carry me from Memphis to Phlia-
delphia. But they were so hard on tramps
there that started for Buffalo on foot. 1t
was Oh my way there that stopped al your
gate, and you took me ip--God bless you
all. AS l began to pick up strength nv
head got steadier, and / even began TO
hope that Selma had remained true TO me,
after all. | wrote to her, and at the
same time sent to Pittsburgh for my
letters, as you know. My intention
was to return them to her. if she should
convince me of her good faith. The rest
you know. Her letter. making an appoint
ment TO meet me at G.. was only trick
to get me out of the way while she came to
The Naples by river, instead of rail, to OBJ
tain the coveted letters; for without them
she would not have dared to complete her
designs"
Ichabod had for some time been speak
ing in very weak voice, and now, as he
concluded, the tears We're trickling, while
he ground his teeth in impotent rage.
"But what were her designs" | asked.
For answer, he handed me the newspa-
per he had been holding, and pointed to a
marked item for Gerry and me to read. 1t
was the notice of his fathers marriage with
Selma Graves, at date only two days after
her sureptitious visit to The Naples.
81 wish you had just one of those forged
papers still, | exclaimed, together with a
remnant of Selina's writing"
"Why, | have BOTH said Ichabod. "Bu,
what can you want with them?"
Give them to me, and | will tell you"
Under his directions Gerty investigated
the ritied carpet-bag, and took from be-
tween the lining and the leather two papers,
which she handed to me.
How did you chance to retain this draft,
if fraudulent" / asked.
1T was the only one of the forgeries
never innoceItly used" said Ichabod. "As
it got loose in my pocket, the detectives
missed it when they searched me. Why do
you ask, sir?"
simply because am something of an
expert in these matters" | replied, "aud ]
am convinced that the same hand w1ote
the name affixed to ii and these other
names (of the same person. which appear
in this letter. Truly, Ichabod, Sel.nas
letters to you could have compromised her
in more ways than one! Her criminality
| equals her perfdy,'
That evening, after tuning the matter